James Buchanan Duke

the divisive sectional and slavery issues. Some people thought that it would determine the viability of the Union itself. The men debated in seven of the nine Illinois Congressional Districts. Each debate opened with an hour address by either Douglas or Lincoln. The other would then speak for an hour and a half. The first then had thirty minutes of rebuttal. Because he was the incumbent, Douglas was allowed to go first four of the seven debates. The two men had their debates directly with the people, even though senators were elected by the state legislature until 1913. Shortly before, Douglas had defied President James Buchanan and the southern Democratic leadership when he opposed the admission of Kansas as a slave state under the controversial Lecompton constitution. He received support from Republicans in Congress as well as their interest in his reelection. Buchanan and the southern slave interests also gave support to Lincoln's candidacy because of their hostility to Douglas. Lincoln's main goal became to keep Illinois Republicans from supporting Douglas. Lincoln wanted to separate Republicans from Douglas morally. He wanted to win the support of radical abolitionists and former conservative Whigs. Lincoln used the debates to strengthen his antislavery position. Lincoln's famous House Divided speech in Springfield on June 16, 1858 laid the groundwork for the campaign. Lincoln opened the campaign by warning that the situation over slavery would not cease until a crisis…

From page one of The Presidents’ War it becomes immensely apparent that DeRose has undertaken a very ambitious task. His purpose is to present the prelude period of the American Civil War from the perspectives of the six presidents that were alive during the period. These presidents; John Tyler, Martin Van Buren, James Buchanan, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, and Abraham Lincoln, all had different agendas that they pursued throughout their terms in office, differing views about the role of…

In this case, however, because of the outcomes, the fate of being largely forgotten is probably better than the fate of being actually remembered, and something tells me President Trump might in four or eight years be looking down that same sort of barrel. I’m talking about James Buchanan. Buchanan, the only President to remain a bachelor for the entirety of his life, is remembered for his many missteps in the years leading up to the Civil War, but nothing reflects his gross negligence and…

to par with the interests and values of the people. A civil war surfaced when free state settlers established their own opposing government. In a conflict called "Bleeding Kansas" nearly 200 people were killed. In 1856, Preston Brooks beat Charles Sumner, an antislavery Senator from Massachusetts, unconscious with a cane after he denounced " The Crime against Kansas." During the 1856 election, the Republican Party chose John C. Fremont and stated that his party strongly disagreed with the…

“Oh Captain! My Captain!” is about a son who is attempting to inform his father about good news, unaware that his father has just passed away in a battle. Walt Whitman, the author of “Oh Captain! My Captain!” laments over the loss of his hero, Abraham Lincoln and viewed him as the greatest president in United States History. Whitman saw a “grand tragedy that promised ultimate purgation and unification for America” in the death of Lincoln (Reynolds). Because of this view on President Lincoln,…

The issue of how much and to what extent rights extend to slaves was a reoccurring topic in the political sphere leading up to and following the Civil War, especially during the debates of 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. Stephen Douglas was strongly in favor of slavery and launched a series of inflammatory remarks to paint Lincoln as an abolitionist and a black sympathizer. Despite the fiery rhetoric, Lincoln speaks to the fact that slavery isn’t an issue of the federal…

Literary Terms in Walt Whitman’s “O’Captain! My Captain!” On the surface, Whitman’s poem appears to be about a captain that died at sea after a rough voyage. Directly under the surface, however, is actually a different poem entirely. “O’Captain! My Captain!” is actually a poem about the death of President Abraham Lincoln after his victory in the Civil War. Whitman uses many literary devices to paint a dark and grief filled picture of Lincoln’s death. The way Whitman writes about Lincoln shows…

He sided with Southerners to block the Wilmot Proviso from preventing slavery in any territories acquired by the Mexican American War, an obvious cause for Republicans, Whigs, and all anti-slavery Northerners alike to be concerned with the direction the nation was taking. The Southerners, on the other hand, obviously rejoiced in the bias that pushed political law to favor their use of slaves. James K Polk was obviously extremely influential during the mid 1800s. He’s the one who pushed for the…

President Abraham Lincoln was famously known to be an immaculate orator. Throughout his all too short presidency he was noted for his impressive speaking skills and ability to speak to a large audience. His speaking caused those who were near the president to stop what they were doing and listen carefully to each word he uttered. Such a skill was increasingly significant for a president especially in the time of the most civil unrest in American history. The ability to communicate ideas and…

What Led to the Civil War The Civil War began in 1861 under President Lincoln. There were events that dated as far back as 1856 that started the Civil War. When the Dred Scott case was ruled in favor of the Emmersons, many protests started (Griffin, PP3, 11/19/15). The raid at Harpers Ferry made the nation feel a sense of crisis (Griffin, PP5, 11/19/15). When the militia of South Carolina attacked Fort Sumter and the states declared succession because of the insurrection, the Civil War began…